This tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure relates to an improvement in cooking tortillas, and more particularly to cooking tortillas in a more healthy fashion and shaping them into pre-formed taco shells and pre-formed tortilla-bowls.
Eating and cooking tortillas, corn or flour, in their various forms be that as a taco, an enchilada, a tostada, a burrito, or any combinations of those and other forms of Mexican foods, has become extremely popular. So popular that such is no longer limited to speciality Mexican restaurants. Many non-Mexican themed fast-food establishments have also embraced the tortilla in its many forms.
Many large-chain supermarkets stock and sell various forms of tortilla shells for the home shopper. Such tortilla shells may be of the relatively fresh uncooked or partially cooked variety, pre-cooked or pre-formed variety, crisp variety, and the like. Pre-cooked and preformed may take the shape of a conventional U-shaped taco shell to a fancy bowl-shape in which to place a salad, guacamole, frijoles, or any other such treats or combinations thereof.
Uncooked tortilla shells are not generally suited for most Mexican-related meals. The most well recognized means of cooking tortilla shells by a home user are by frying the soft tortilla shell in a frying pan having a suitable shortening in it. Frying for a short period of time will render the cooked shell pliable. Frying for longer periods will render the cooked shell crisp and brittle. How fried and for how long will all depend on the individual tastes of the end user. For those preferring the crisp shell over the softer shell, cooking the tortilla shells is difficult. One must cook them in the oil and shape them while cooking until the desired shaped is accomplished. All the while during this cooking process, the user must be careful to create and maintain the desired shape while cooking and not to break the tortilla shell in the process.
Many innovations in tortilla-cooking devices and utensils have been made over the years due in large part to the rising popularity of foods involving the use of tortilla shells. The Information Disclosure Statement accompanying this current application illustrates the more pertinent of such innovations.
Health-conscious dictates frying with shortenings and oils having lower fats and other unhealthy ingredients. Some have event taken to baking the tortilla shells to their liking thereby eliminating any undesirable qualities occasioned by use of any shortening or oil. Baking, however, is more time-consuming and consumes considerable energy in the process. Cooking tortilla shells in the microwave oven makes it extremely difficult to form and generally tends to render the cooked shell soggy and unappealing. If the tortilla shell is of the flour variety, in addition, it will blister and generally deform.
None of the innovations uncovered have been as innovative as the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure which, by using the microwave oven, can cook any variety of tortilla shells into the most commonly desired shapes to produce a more healthy and edible tortilla shell than previously capable. All this while preventing deformation and in the process minimizing the blistering effect as many of the flour variety are prone to do if cooked with any other cooking device in the microwave oven.
The tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure directs microwave air flow in such a manner as to more evenly and fully cook the tortilla shell and limit blistering especially when cooking flour tortilla shells for tostada bowls. The mold for cooking tortilla shells into taco shells and the mold for cooking tortilla shells into tostada bowls are slightly different but are interchangeable for use with the same base. In short, the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure is extremely easy to use, simple to manufacture, and extremely versatile.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the tortilla cooking device of this present disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.